Month: July 2012

Cal’s Deborah Maier, the NCAA runnerup in indoor 3,000 and 5,000 meters, was named the 2012 National Scholar-Athlete of the Year for indoor track and field by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

Maier, a political science major, sports a 3.82 grade-point average. She also placed 11th at the NCAA cross country championships as a junior last fall, the best showing by a Cal runner in 24 years.

Cal senior safety Josh Hill returns off a unit that led the Pac-12 in pass defense and total defense a year ago:

Q. There are concerns that Cal’s defense, having lost so many players who were drafted into the NFL, won’t measure up this season. How do you respond to that and how good can your defense be?

A. We don’t have any concerns. We feel like even we lost a lot of key guys, we feel like we’re going to be better than last year. We have a young team, we have a very experienced team as well. I know the D-line is going to be a lot better. And the secondary. We’re going to surprise a lot of people.

Q. You have played cornerback and safety during your college career and now you are a starter at safety. What do you bring to the field that fans may not have recognized to this point?

A. A lot of leadership. I played the corner, I played the safety, but I wasn’t really considered the leader. Now I am. So now a lot of eyes will be on me. We’ll will have a different kind of swagger on defense. I’ll try to bring that. I like that role because now everything’s on me. If we succeed it’s on me. If we fail it’s also on me. It’s a big role and I’m ready for the challenge.

Q. On Sept. 1, your team will have the distinction of christening the renovated Memorial Stadium. Envision for me the pre-game atmosphere in the locker room and what kind of performance effort that emotion will translate to on the field. Does Nevada have a chance?

A. The atmosphere is going to be crazy. We’re going to have so much energy, we just can’t wait. The chemistry between us is going to be great. Just the new stadium, the whole atmoshere is going to be something I’ve never felt before. We’re going to be the first team in history to be in that stadium. We just plan on making a statement early. You don’t want to be anybody that day. We plan to keep that going the whole season.

Cal junior wide receiver Keenan Allen, caught 98 passes in 2011, is expected to be healthy after undergoing surgery on his right ankle in March following a pickup basketball injury:

Q. Have you dunked a basketball lately?

A. Oh no, no basketball for me. It’s strictly football. I can go out there and play H-O-R-S-E. I feel pretty good. If I had a game Saturday, I could play. I don’t know how long it would hold up because it doesn’t have all its full capacity and flexibility yet. I’ve still got a long time (before the opener).”

Q. The Pac-12 may have the best wideouts in the country, including Robert Woods and Marqise Lee at USC and Marquess Wilson at Washington State. Tell me why you are better than any of them and how you’re better than you were a year ago:

A. I feel like I bring a lot of things to the table, being able to catch the ball, being able to run after the catch, go deep, run a screen. Being able to make a quarterback play, throw the ball if the team needs me to. I have a lot of versatility on the field. Those guys, you’re used to seeing them at wide receiver or punt return. I like to go out there and be versatile.

Q. There has been a buzz since last spring that the eligibility of your half-brother, senior quarterback Zach Maynard, is in jeopardy because of academics. How is he coping with that talk and who do you expect to be under center on Sept. 1 when you guys open the new Memorial Stadium against Nevada?

A. I definitely expect Zach to be under center on Sept. 1. Being with Zach my whole life, I know he’s good under pressure. He’s always struggled, always been in hard times, he’s always under pressure. I have the utmost confidence in him. I know he’s going to come out there and do great things. He’s going to take care of the academic stuff and he’s going to be ready to play football. He’s actually doing pretty good. He’s taking care of his academics. I have no doubts.

Q. After two home games, you guys are on the road for a pair of high-profile road games — at Ohio State and at USC on back-to-back weekends. Tell me what kind of performance will you expect from yourself on those Saturdays and how important those games will be to Cal’s season?

A. I take the motto that big-time players show up in big-time games. I’m going to come out there and give it my 100 percent for four quarter. They definitely excite me, but I think all games excite me. Every time I go out there I feel like it’s my turn to shine. I’ve got to impress somebody so I just go out there with that mindset. As far as the team, playing Ohio State and USC back-to-back, that’s going to show our character. It’s definitely going to develop a path for this season.

As expected, the NCAA today handed Penn State harsh penalties in response to the Jerry Sandusky child abuse case.

Here is a summary:

— A four-year bowl ban

— $60 million in fines, spread over five years, to endow programs designed to prevent child abuse and assist victims.

— All of Penn State’s football victories since 1998 will be vacated, reducing late coach Joe Paterno’s career victory total from an all-time record 409 to 298. Paterno’s record now stands at 298-136-3.

— Penn State will lose 10 scholarships this year and 20 per season for four years. Within two years, the Nittany Lions’ scholarship limit will be capped at 65 — 20 below the norm.

— Current players will be allowed to transfer to another school without having to sit out a season.

With a nod to a Tweet from Cal A.D. Sandy Barbour, news that Max Zhang is on China’s Olympic basketball roster.

You’ll see him listed below under his formal name, Zhaoxu Zhang, but it’s Max, one of the more popular Cal players in recent years.

This is the happy ending for Zhang following his sudden departure from Berkeley on the eve of the 2010-11 season. The 7-foot-2 center was signed to a pro contract in China at the time after playing on a second-level national team in his homeland — and the undercurrent was the decision was not his alone.